The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance and the need to improve access to safe, sustainable and affordable water and improved standards of sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for all. Access to improved WASH services impacts on the spread of otherwise preventable WASH related diseases including Covid-19.
UWASNET with support from its partners is calling for the prioritization of WASH in the national plans and budgets to effectively address Covid-19 and other WASH related diseases. Covid-19 has put WASH at the forefront of all prevention messages and this needs to be reflected in the national budgets and plans as well
In FY2020/2021, the Water and Environment sector remained among the least funded sectors in Uganda yet it is mandated with ensuring universal access to WASH services.
Under-funding of the sector greatly affects service delivery and UWASNET is calling on Government to increase sector funding to ensure universal access to WASH services.
With support from WSSCC now – Sanitation and Hygiene Fund and IRC Uganda, UWASNET developed key messages targeting Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Parliament of Uganda, technical and political leaders at district level with key actions that will led to the prioritization of WASH in national plans and budgets.
Critically, UWASNET also created hand washing with soap messages targeting the members of the public with the aim of promoting hand washing with soap as a measure towards curbing preventable WASH diseases.
